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The term ‘WWE Lifer’ is often used to describe Superstars who are likely to remain with the company for the rest of their careers, such as The Undertaker and Kane.
In contrast, there have been plenty of people over the last two decades who have joined WWE with the intention of at least staying in Vince McMahon’s company for a few years. But, for various different reasons, their WWE careers did not work out how they expected.
In this article, let’s take a look at five examples of WWE employees who received their releases within six months of being hired.
#5 Cain Velasquez (6-month WWE run)
The Cain Velasquez story goes all the way back to when the former MMA star defeated Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 in October 2010 to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Velasquez later became a two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion before he decided to swap the octagon for the squared circle in 2019 following his 26-second loss against Francis Ngannou.
After initially producing some impressive in-ring performances in Mexican promotion AAA, Lesnar’s former UFC opponent made his WWE debut in October 2019 when he confronted “The Beast” in the final segment of the first episode of SmackDown on FOX.
Lesnar, who had just won the WWE Championship from Kofi Kingston in a match lasting eight seconds, went on to retain his title later in the month against Velasquez at the Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia.
The nine-years-in-the-making match between the two men was surprisingly short – Velasquez tapped out after 130 seconds – and it soon emerged that WWE’s new signing had a knee injury that had not been disclosed.
Sportskeeda’s Tom Colohue reported that Velasquez “made a catalog of errors” early on in his WWE career.
"He didn't say anything about his initial injury when he signed his contract. He said he was going to be in the Royal Rumble when it hadn't been announced, so he was pulled. He posted a picture with Ronda Rousey in the WWE HQ when nobody was supposed to know they were there. He unfortunately just made a catalog of errors early on."
WWE announced the release of over 20 Superstars in April 2020 as a cost-cutting measure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was later revealed that Velasquez’s contract had also come to an early end.
#4 Eric Bischoff (4-month WWE return)
In June 2019, Vince McMahon decided to shake up WWE’s creative teams by appointing Paul Heyman as the Executive Director of RAW and Eric Bischoff as the Executive Director of SmackDown.
WWE’s initial announcement about the behind-the-scenes changes stated that both men would oversee the creative process of their respective brands and report directly to Vince McMahon.
However, Bischoff was replaced by Bruce Prichard after just four months, while Prichard also took over from Heyman eight months later.
Speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast following his WWE departure in October 2019, Bischoff said he expected to last around 2-3 years in the Executive Director role, but he was “not completely surprised” when Vince McMahon made the decision to fire him.
“When I took this job, I knew what the odds were of it being a long-term opportunity for me. Let me just say it this way: I’m not surprised. I’m disappointed, I’m not going to lie, I’m disappointed. I would have liked for it to have been a longer run than it was. I’d be completely dishonest if I didn’t admit that, but at the same time I’m not completely surprised either.”
Bischoff added that his overall WWE experience was “a very positive one” and that it was worth returning to the company just to have the opportunity to work closely with Vince McMahon.
#3 Francine (5-month WWE ECW run)
Following a seven-year association with ECW between 1994 and 2001, Francine made a surprise appearance at WWE’s ECW One Night Stand event in June 2005.
One year later, she officially joined WWE as part of the revamped ECW brand in May 2006, but she quickly found out that her position on the show was not what she had in mind.
Speaking on Shane Douglas’ podcast in 2018, Francine explained to her former ECW colleague that she wanted more creative storylines in WWE and she did not feel comfortable only competing in swimsuit competitions.
"I didn't get it because every one of us was willing to work just as hard as we did for Paul [Heyman] and everyone was just dumbfounded. We would literally just sit in catering and stare at each other and say that we wonder when we are getting released. That is what we said every week. It was brutal."
She recalled one particular conversation with John Laurinaitis – WWE’s Vice President of Talent Relations at the time – where she cried in his office and “begged” for her release, leading to another meeting with Vince McMahon.
In October 2006, the former ECW star received her release from her WWE contract, just five months after she had agreed to join the company.
#2 Buff Bagwell (3-month WWE run)
Buff Bagwell took part in one of the most infamous matches in WWE RAW history when he challenged Booker T for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in July 2001.
At the time, WWE wanted to make WCW its own brand within the company. This meant that the main event of RAW had a WCW theme, including different ring skirts and announcers.
Unfortunately for Bagwell and Booker T, WWE’s loyal fans decided to hijack the match with “boring” chants before Steve Austin and Kurt Angle attacked both men to cause a disqualification.
The disastrous match, coupled with complaints about Bagwell’s backstage behavior, led to WWE releasing the five-time WCW Tag Team Champion just three months after taking over his WCW contract.
Like Cain Velasquez, Bagwell’s only televised WWE match came in a World Championship encounter, but neither Superstar likely expected their time in the company to come to an end so quickly.
WWE’s website even published an article in 2013 describing Booker T vs. Buff Bagwell as “the most awkward match ever”, but Bagwell declined to comment when he was contacted by the company for the article.
#1 Rob Gronkowski (3-month WWE run)
WWE has used high-profile sportspeople in matches and storylines for decades, with the likes of Lawrence Taylor, Mike Tyson, Ronda Rousey, and Tyson Fury all appearing on WWE television in various different roles.
In March 2020, it was announced that NFL star Rob Gronkowski had signed with WWE. His first major role saw him work as the host of WrestleMania 36, while it was widely speculated that he would become an in-ring performer in the future.
Gronkowski won the 24/7 Championship at WrestleMania 36 after jumping from a podium onto a group of Superstars. However, as Sportskeeda’s Tom Colohue reported, WrestleMania turned out to be Gronk’s only notable WWE appearance.
"He filmed WrestleMania which he was always booked for, and apparently, just from that one date, decided wrestling wasn't actually for him. From there, he made the WWE aware that he was considering to return to football and that made a lot of people very annoyed. A lot of people. Not to mention the people who are annoyed at the massive delay that came during the WrestleMania spot because he wouldn't take the bump."
Gronkowski’s WrestleMania spot is believed to have caused a lengthy filming delay – so much so that Vince McMahon performed the stunt himself to show him how it is done – and it was later revealed that he had decided to return to the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In June 2020, Gronkowski made his final WWE appearance when he lost the 24/7 Championship to R-Truth.
